Cherries are a delicious summer treat. Easy to follow recipes and tips from the cheery Cherry Growers of Australia.

Did you know the delicious and decorative cherry ....
- is a rich source of antioxidants.
- is high in potassium, vitamins B & C; contains no fat.
- is one of about 7,000 to be produced by a single tree in one season.
- stores unwashed in a plastic bag in the fridge.
- should be washed just before eating.
- should be eaten within three days of purchase.
- costs about $8 to $20 per kilo peak season (December, January) depending on size.

Cook with cherries

Cherry muffins(Makes 16)
2 cups plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp salt
400g cherries, pitted & roughly chopped
2 eggs 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
Cinnamon sugar for topping

Grease muffin tins well. Sift the dry ingredients together in large bowl. Add the cherries to dry mix and mix until well coated. In a small bowl beat the eggs. Add the melted butter and milk. Quickly stir the liquid mixture into the dry mix. Do not over-mix as overblending will cause a tough texture. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon-sugar topping. Bake at 200C for 18 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

Cherry and walnut loaf (Makes 1)
500g cherries, pitted
325g walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 125C. Combine the cherries and walnuts and add the sugar. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder over cherries and walnuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks until foamy (saving the egg whites for later), and add vanilla. Then add to cherry/walnut mixture and blend thoroughly. Beat the egg whites till stiff and fold into the mixture. The dough should be fairly stiff.

Pack the dough in a greased and greaseproof-paper lined 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the loaf from oven, turn over the loaf onto another sheet of greaseproof, and carefully remove the paper from base and sides of loaf. This is an easy cake to make for Christmas.

Vikki Leng's summer cherry dip
Combine 200g light cream cheese with 1 tablespoon mild flavoured honey and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat with a small whisk or wooden spoon, adding in plain yoghurt until desired consistency. Serve in a small bowl in the middle of a platter of cherries

How to freeze cherries
Freeze cherries as fresh as possible. Frozen, they last for 12 months.

First stem and sort. Wash in cold water and drain and pit. Look for a nifty olive stoner in kitchen ware shops - they work on cherries too. Pack into containers, using one of the followingmethods:

Sugar pack
3/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water; mix to dissolve.

Syrup
Bring 5 cups sugar and 4 cups water to a rolling boil. Chill before using.

Plain
Place in freezer quality plastic bags.

From the Cherry Growers of Australia Inc, Cavan SA.